Friday, October 9, 2015

Review: The Detour by S.A. Bodeen

First, thanks to Feiwel and Friends as well as Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this title.  I've been a fan of this author since I read The Compound.  The books are always pretty quick reads, as well as very suspenseful.  This one was a really great teen version of the book Misery by Stephen King, although the kidnappers weren't really "fans" of the teen author. 

The main character is a best-selling teen author named Livvy Flynn.  She's on her way to a writing conference where she has been asked to come and speak.  Now at first Livvy is kind of hard to like. She's pretty full of herself it seems, the way she thinks of the older women who come and ask her advice at the conferences, well, let's just say it's not very nice.  Or maybe just as I am one of the women in the age group she talks about, and I'm starting to write, maybe I just felt it kind of personally.  She doesn't have a lot of friends, but there is a boy that she has been Skyping with, a boy who is a struggling wannabe writer himself.  And she is hoping to meet him in person when she goes to this conference.  On the road though she gets distracted and that's all it takes, suddenly her car crashes.  She lands upside down in the car. There is a girl she saw on the road that has come over and she asks the girl for help.  The girl had been doing something kind of weird when Livvy saw her, but she still is glad to see someone come to help her.  Or so she thinks, until the girl hits her in the head and knocks her out. 

When Livvy next wakes up she is in a room, in a basement, and the door is locked.  Not that she could get out, her legs are really hurt bad, and she probably has a concussion between the accident and being hit in the head.  Soon the girl from the road, and what is her mother show up.  The mother doesn't seem very friendly, and is pretty grouchy about what she sees as Livvy being ungrateful that she's been saved.  The mother says there is something that Livvy needs to apologize for.  But Livvy doesn't recognize this woman, can't even think of anything she might have done.  The woman at times is very nice, almost mothering, but can turn in a second to a woman who shows Livvy scorn for being spoiled and selfish.  The daughter, well there is something wrong with that girl.  She seems intent to kill or hurt Livvy. Fortunately for the most part, the mother tries to keep her daughter away from Livvy. 

Livvy is stuck there, not knowing how she will get rescued, or who might even know she is missing.  There are some other people that show up at the house.  One a police officer, who almost seems to either be in on the whole thing, or willing to look away, due to something the mom has over him. Then there is a very perverted seeming teen boy, about Livvy's age.  And she just hopes that he isn't able to find his way into her prison in the basement, and do the things he says he will to her.

Really this is so well done.  I kind of guessed the reason for the mom being angry with Livvy.  But really the way it all unfolded was so good.  Like I said, a definite comparison to Misery in how scary the final moments could be.  Once again this author has done a great job with her story.  I can't wait to have my students read it, and then recommend other books, like the King one, to follow up.